Posts tagged "#solar"

Free To Be Who You Are

The Aquarius New Moon highlights this archetypal sign of friendship and community. In essence, it’s the sign of humanitarianism–love for the collective, not in a spiritually empathic Neptunian “there but the for the grace of God go I” sense, but rather through a “united we stand, divided we fall” ideology.

The English language has but one word to describe “love.” In reality, however, when you think about it, love comes in several different forms–from romantic to erotic, from comradely love to love of family, community, country, etc.

As such, this Aquarius New Moon presents us with a time during which we mayplant seeds around our commitment to groups and their causes, and to those toward whom we feel brotherly/sisterly love.

However, there’s a paradox here. Above all, Aquarius energy represents our commitment to our own sense of individuality, our freedom to individuate and to be who we truly came here to be.

Jungian analyst and astrologer Richard Idemon defines Uranian/Aquarian love in his book “Through the Looking Glass” as agape, which brings with it the ability to say “I love you enough to let you more fully and completely be who you are. Indeed, the more you are fully and completely yourself, the more I love you; and this is because the more you are completely who you are, the more I can be fully and completely who I am.

“The image associated with Aquarius is the water bearer, a god pouring water or a fluidlike substance from an urn,” explains Idemon. “The urn and its contents represent love as a gift from the gods…the urge of agape is for each one of us to offer as a form of love those things we have learned through our individual journeys and our suffering…

“Heroes and heroines go through their heroic journey and then bring back the gifts of truth, freedom, enlightenment, cleansing or redemption to share with humanity,” according to Idemon. Agape awakens and frees us at the same time because it has “a kind of Humpty Dumpty effect—it hits us and off the wall we fall…if we are truly living in process, if we are growing and evolving, we must expect and accept that change is part of life.”

What About The Solar Eclipse?

This partial solar eclipse at the Aquarius New Moon occurs at 27-degrees and 7-minutes of the sign of the water bearer. This is within two degrees of opposition to last year’s August 21 total solar eclipse at 28-degrees 53-minutes of Leo.

Solar eclipses are, in general, more likely to manifest externally while lunar eclipses may bring forth more hidden internal emotional issues. This partial solar eclipse is part of a pair—it falls under the same auspices as the January 31 Leo Full Moon total lunar eclipse, and so it carries the same theme.

That theme includes new ideas, according to astrologer Bernadette Brady, who wrote in her book “Predictive Astrology: The Eagle and the Lark” that “if this eclipse affects your chart, you will be flooded with new ideas or options. There may seem to be an element of haste, but if you can go with the new ideas, they will have positive outcomes.”

A solar eclipse occurs at a New Moon when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, causing the light of the Sun to be obscured. A total solar eclipse obscure’s the whole of the Sun’s light from the vantage point of Earth, while a partial solar eclipse allows only a portion of the Sun’s light to either shine or be hidden.

Whether an eclipse is total or partial is determined by the orb (number of degrees) between the Sun and the transiting Nodes of the Moon. Ergo, it’s the position of the transiting Nodes that determines whether or not any given New Moon is a solar eclipse or not.

Either way, it’s still important to recognize where an eclipse occurs in your chart (in what house this eclipse degree falls), and to note whether or not it touches any sensitive points (planets, angles, etc.) in your own horoscope.

Remember, at this partial solar eclipse we’re all about planting those new seeds, some of which will come in the form of ideas. Since the same energy has been in play since January 31’s total lunar eclipse—though that was a time of release—let’s ask ourselves what we’ve been able to let go of in the form of ideas that no longer serve us well in order to make room for newer, more exciting or revelatory ones.

Now is the time for beginnings. People, external events, or circumstances may prompt new ideas that will allow you to shine that light of yours defiantly and proudly out into the world in a way that benefits not just yourself but others too!

What About Us?

It’s our individuality that makes us special and unique, and it’s our specific hero’s journey that enlightens us about exactly how unique we are, in what ways, and how this differentiates us from the herd.

At this Aquarius New Moon, we’re asked to dig deeply into the water bearer’s urn and discern and assess exactly what’s in it. Joseph Campbell called this the “boon” or “elixir” that we search for as part of our hero’s journey quest.

Why?

Because this is how we make our greatest contribution to the collective. It’s how we add our own specific and special individual divinely-inspired gifts to the group by first defining our gift or gifts, and then releasing them into the group for its betterment–the betterment of wo/mankind.

The message of the transiting nodal axis is still the same as it’s been since May 9, 2017 when it shifted regressively into new signs—the South Node into Aquarius, the North Node into Leo. We’re to take our special gifts, those that we simultaneously brought to the group and those that set us apart from the collective, and bring them forth in ways that allow us to shine as individuals.

Supporting this Aquarius New Moon in its mission are Mars and Vesta in Sagittarius (the latter symbolic of the eternal flame lighting the prodigal son’s way home) sextile the South Node and trine the North Node. This “easy” energy may just provide the necessary push (read: opportunity) to remind us of our true goal.

At the same time, Mercury in Aquarius (aligned now with the Moon, Sun, & Juno—the archetypal “wife” or partner) sextiles Aquarian ruler Uranus in Aries. Opportunities for new ideas—no matter how fast or from how far out of the blue they come—may be just the match we need to help us light our own special divinely-inspired fires and shine them into the world.

Also, a sextile between Venus in Pisces and Saturn in Capricorn provides a groundedness and welcome balance to the airy energy of this Aquarius New Moon. It asks us to ponder: where can we find opportunity through our compassion and empathy to carry out our duty to family, friends, colleagues, community—but most of all to ourselves—without sacrificing our individuality now?

Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself

You might want to keep this in mind, as well, as Mars approaches a square to Neptune at this Aquarius New Moon. This square will exact on February 17, the day before the Sun moves into the sign of Pisces and, leading up til then, may well have us doubting ourselves, especially in terms of our physical energy.

Mars square Neptune can bring fatigue and depression, but greater trouble may result from our own tendency to second guess our intuitions and allow ourselves to fall prey to the deceitful words or actions of another or others.

Don’t get sucked into believing that a group’s cause is the same as your own if that group does not appreciate the special gifts you bring to it!

In his book “Planets In Transit,” astrologer Rob Hand warns of “low physical energies” with this transit, and to “watch out for fevers, cuts, burns, infections and the like, along with allergies and excessive physical strain.”

How can we better utilize the Mars square Neptune energy? The key lies with the fact that this square can also endow us with great intuitive power. Allow your feelings to guide you, but maintain strong enough boundaries so as to not fall into any deceitful trap or—worse yet–beat yourself up if you do!

Rather, allow yourself to forgive yourself for any sob story you may have bought from others, any metaphorical Brooklyn Bridges you may have purchased. In doing so you’ll be able—at least eventually—to forgive your deceivers as well.

Venus is approaching Neptune now (exact conjunction on February 21), and we know that if we have the capability to feel compassion for ourselves in the form of forgiveness, we may then feel the same toward others.

This is key! Remember, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me! Use this energy to become conscious of your patterns and to transform them from the kind of deficit inherent in continually playing the victim into the empowerment and strength necessary for self-forgiveness…

At this time, Neptune also forms a quincunx to the Leo North Node, challenging us to remember that one way to reward ourselves when we’re able to pierce any bubble of negativity in which we may be hiding or existing is through creative expression, or the enjoyment of another’s creativity.

Make music–or simply listen to it–attend a dance event or simply dance, read or write, drum, meditate, pray, paint or go to a museum. In short, appreciate that the universe surrounds you with beautiful, pleasurable experiences as long as you take the time and opportunity to stop and smell those roses…above all, best to heed Rob Hand’s warning now to “try not to become demoralized! Conserve your energies, confront your fears!”

Here’s Pink’s What About Us, an appropriate question to ask as we all ponder past changes in our lives and if it’s time now for us to stand up and be counted:

Pink

“We are searchlights, we can see in the darkWe are rockets, pointed up at the starsWe are billions of beautiful heartsAnd you sold us down the river too far…

What about us?
What about all the times you said you had the answers?
What about us?
What about all the broken happy ever afters?
What about us?

What about all the plans that ended in disaster?
What about love? What about trust?
What about us?

We are problems that want to be solved We are children that need to be loved We were willin’, we came when you called But man, you fooled us, enough is enough, oh

What about us?
What about all the times you said you had the answers?
What about us?
What about all the broken happy ever afters?
Oh, what about us?
What about all the plans that ended in disaster?
Oh, what about love? What about trust?
What about us?
Oh, what about us?

What about all the plans that ended in disaster?
What about love? What about trust?
What about us?

Sticks and stones, they may break these bonesBut then I’ll be ready, are you ready?It’s the start of us, waking up come on
Are you ready? I’ll be ready

I don’t want control, I want to let go
Are you ready? I’ll be ready
‘Cause now it’s time to let them know
We are ready, what about us?

What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers? So what about us? What about all the broken happy ever afters? Oh, what about us? What about all the plans that ended in disaster? Oh, what about love? What about trust? What about us?”